The Capital Adequacy Directive sets out various categories of investment firms subject to differing levels of initial capital. For the purpose of the third paragraph of article 95(2) of the EU CRR, a BIPRU firm falls into the category in article 5(3) of the Capital Adequacy Directive. In summary, a BIPRU firm: 12

does not provide the ancillary service of safekeeping and administration of financial instruments for the account of clients, including custodianship and related services such as cash/collateral management, and is not authorised to do so; 12

The relevant fixed expenditure of a firm in the following circumstances is:

(1)

where its most recent audited annual report and accounts do not represent a twelve month period, an amount calculated in accordance with GENPRU 2.1.54 R, pro-rated so as to produce an equivalent annual amount; and

(2)

where it has not completed twelve months' trading, an amount based on forecast expenditure included in the budget for the first twelve months' trading, as submitted with its application for authorisation.

A firm must adjust its relevant fixed expenditure calculation so far as necessary if and to the extent that since the date covered by the most recent audited annual report and accounts or (if GENPRU 2.1.55R (2) applies) since the budget was prepared:

If a firm has a material proportion of its expenditure incurred on its behalf by third parties and such expenditure is not fully recharged to that firm then the firm must adjust its relevant fixed expenditure calculation by adding back in the whole of the difference between the amount of the expenditure and the amount recharged.

For the purpose of GENPRU 2.1.54 R to 2.1.57 R, fixed expenditure is expenditure which is inelastic relative to fluctuations in a firm's levels of business. Fixed expenditure is likely to include most salaries and staff costs, office rent, payment for the rent or lease of office equipment, and insurance premiums. It may be viewed as the amount of funds which a firm would require to enable it to cease business in an orderly manner, should the need arise. This is not an exhaustive list of such expenditure and a firm will itself need to identify (taking appropriate advice where necessary) which costs amount to fixed expenditure.

on 31 December 2006 it had the benefit of IPRU(BANK) rule 3.3.12 (Reduced minimum capital requirement for a bank that is a credit institution which immediately before 1 January 1993 was authorised under the Banking Act 1987);

(b)

the relevant amount (as referred to in IPRU(BANK) rule 3.3.12) applicable to it was below €5 million as at 31 December 2006; and

the relevant amount of capital as referred to in GENPRU 2.1.60R (2)(a) is adjusted by identifying the time as of which the amount of capital it was obliged to hold under IPRU(BANK) rule 3.3.12 as referred to in GENPRU 2.1.60R (2)(a) was fixed and then recalculating the capital resources it held at that time in accordance with the definition of eligible capital resources (as defined in (3)); and